Sep. 18, 2018, 6:07 p.m.

A state panel on Tuesday recommended that Gov. Jerry Brown grant a pardon to former state Sen. Roderick Wright for his 2014 conviction on eight felony counts after prosecutors said he lied about living in his Senate district.

The recommendation by the California Board of Parole Hearings next goes to the state Supreme Court, where four judges must concur in the recommendation before it can go to Brown for consideration.

Wright and Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), who now represents the Senate district, were among those who urged the parole board to recommend a pardon. The board later posted its decision online without providing a rationale.

Sep. 18, 2018, 5:17 p.m.

Californians can now legally sell food made in their home kitchens. (Anne Cusack)

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law on Tuesday that would allow people to sell food they make themselves, a practice that was previously outlawed due to health concerns.

Assembly Bill 626, which will go into effect Jan. 1, imposes strict guidelines for what it labels “microenterprise home kitchens,” or MHKs. Californians operating MHKs will have to first apply for a permit. After receiving a permit, they can run their businesses if they sell no more than 60 meals per week, deal directly with their customers and consent to inspections if local officials receive complaints.

The law also exempts MHKs from rules that apply to commercial restaurants but don’t make sense at home. These include a prohibition on kitchens opening directly to living spaces and a regulation that requires a three-compartment sink.

Sep. 18, 2018, 5:05 p.m.

California and New Mexico sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its action to repeal requirements aimed at reducing methane leakage on federal and tribal lands, Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said.

The lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was filed in San Francisco and argues that the 2016 Waste Prevention Rule facing repeal is needed to reduce waste of natural gas and air pollution.

The states argues that the agency’s action is “an abuse of discretion” that is “in excess of their statutory authority.” The court filing says the repeal of the rule violates federal laws requiring agencies to provide a “reasoned analysis for the change” and a detailed report on the environmental impacts.

A California voter whose signature can’t be verified on an absentee ballot will have eight days to fix the problem under a law signed Monday that takes effect immediately.

It was one of two laws signed by Gov. Jerry Brown to boost the rights of those who vote by mail. Brown also signed legislation requiring elections officials to create a system in which voters can track the status of their ballot, a service that wouldn’t be available until 2020.

California’s two contenders for governor have agreed to participate in an Oct. 8 forum on San Francisco-based public radio station KQED.

Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox have spent most of the summer sparring over when, where and if to hold debates, creating some political suspense with less than two months to go before the November election.

The format, according to KQED, will be “a directed conversation, not subject to strict debate timelines and rules,” and will be moderated by KQED senior politics editor Scott Shafer.

Sep. 13, 2018, 8:00 a.m.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives to introduce Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearing. (Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorsed Republican John Cox for California governor on Thursday, saying he has the vision to address the state’s most vexing problems.

"California’s future depends on what we do today. John’s commitment to education, affordable housing, and better-paying jobs will put California on a course towards a better tomorrow,” Rice said in a statement released by the Cox campaign.

Rice served as secretary of State and national security advisor under the George W. Bush administration. She’s now a political science professor at Stanford University and also teaches at its graduate school of business.

With less than two months until election day, California’s two gubernatorial contenders remained locked in a standoff over whether they’ll meet to discuss the issues facing the state.

The debate over debates marked a new chapter this week when plans for an Oct. 1 faceoff hosted by CNN fell apart, a network source confirmed Tuesday. Democratic candidate Gavin Newsom had agreed to that debate, while Republican John Cox had not committed, expressing concerns about the event’s format and moderators.

Cox, who agreed to four other debates that Newsom declined, said last week he would participate in the CNN debate only if it focused on housing, cost of living, water and other California-specific issues, and if a California journalist was included as a moderator. Newsom’s campaign said Cox was trying to limit the scope of questions asked.

Sep. 10, 2018, 5:37 p.m.

Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Travis Allen during a speech to the Tea Party California Caucus last year. (Silvia Flores)

Having fallen short in his recent campaign for governor, conservative state Assemblyman Travis Allen said Monday that he is weighing a run for chairman of the state GOP with the goal of “leading California Republicans back to statewide relevance.”

Allen, a resident of Huntington Beach, said he talked Monday with party Chairman Jim Brulte about the operations and priorities of the state party in preparation for making a decision on whether to vie for the leadership job.

Brulte has said he will not seek another two years as leader when his term ends in February, and a candidacy by Allen would set up another contest with former Assemblyman David Hadley, a social moderate who also ran for governor before dropping out of the race after two weeks in 2017.